Pepsi counters Coca-Cola Freestyle with Pepsi Spire

Pepsi Spire is now available in select U.S. locations and will continue to roll out through 2014, according to Pepsi.

The Pepsi Spire portfolio currently consists of three touchscreen fountain unit models which allow consumers to create personalized beverages:

Pepsi Spire 1.1 is a countertop self-service unit that allows consumers to create up to 40 beverage combinations using a 10-inch touchscreen.

Pepsi Spire 2.0 is a countertop self-service unit that allows consumers to create up to 500 beverage combinations using a 15-inch touchscreen. This equipment is also available as a countertop crew-service unit for restaurant staff.

Pepsi Spire 5.0, which Pepsi said will launch soon, allows consumers to create more than 1,000 beverage combinations using a 32-inch touchscreen. This equipment will be available as both a self-service countertop or as a free-standing unit.

Pepsi Spire machines pour a wide range of brands from Pepsi's portfolio of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Brisk Iced Tea and SoBe Lifewater, as well as an assortment of zero-calorie flavor shots, including cherry, lemon, vanilla, strawberry, raspberry and lime.

"We are in the middle of an exciting evolution of personalization,” Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo’s Global Beverages Group, said in a statement. “The 'maker movement' has influenced the way people relate to brands and one another, and design has infiltrated everything we consume. What better way to empower consumers to make their own personalized drinks than by giving them the chance to create more than 1,000 beverage combinations with one simple touch of our Pepsi Spire?"

The Pepsi Spire range evolved from the Pepsi Touch Tower, which was piloted in the U.S. in 2013 and is also available in Europe, Central America and the Caribbean.

The equipment's design shares the visual design language that is being used across a number of Pepsi's recent innovations, including its Interactive Vending Machine and Smart Cooler.

Pepsi Spire 2.0 and 5.0 are both smart equipment, which allows Pepsi and its customers to identify popular beverage customizations, gain real-time consumer preference insights and remotely update touchscreen content, the company said.